The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Babatunde Adejumo, has vowed to ward off corrupt practices in the institute that could warrant the investigation of any staff member by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He said, on his watch, no members of staff of the institute would become “EFCC customers” out of any act of wrongdoing.
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He made the promise on Tuesday when he led his management staff on a courtesy visit to the EFCC chairperson, Ola Olukoyede, at the commission’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement posted on the EFCC’s X handle.
Mr Adejumo, a pioneer judge and immediate-past president of the National Industrial Court, assured his host that anyone caught to be involved in illegality would be handed over to the EFCC, stressing that no country could survive without an anti-corruption agency.
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He said his visit to the EFCC was borne out of the critical nature of NJI’s work to national survival and progress.
He pledged to renew NJI’s collaboration with EFCC to strengthen the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.
“The fear of the EFCC is the beginning of wisdom,” he said.
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NJI is Nigeria’s institution for training and educating judicial officers and court staff on the law. Established by the NJI Act of 1991, it aims to improve efficiency, uniformity, and the quality of judicial services across all courts.
Mr Adejumo took office as the ninth Administrator of the institute on 1 August, following his appointment by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The 70-year-old retired judge pledged to overhaul the NJI to meet international standards.
Mr Adejumo frowned on the recklessness and wickedness of some individuals hindering the country’s progress by stealing “funds meant for development and the improvement of the lives of citizens” leaving the majority in poverty.
He encouraged EFCC chair Olukoyede and his team to continue to “do good,” urging the agency to partner with the NJI, as investigations and prosecutions could only succeed when validated by judicial decisions.
EFCC accepts collaboration
EFCC chair, Mr Olukoyede, commended Mr Adejumo on his commitment to strengthening the integrity of the NJI. He also agreed with the view that EFCC needed the judiciary to succeed on its mandate.
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He described the judiciary’s support as indispensable in the pursuit of justice, recalling EFCC’s “long history with the NJI spanning about seven years”. He promised to “continue to build on this collaboration.”
“The support of the judiciary will not be taken for granted. Your admonition is well received, and we will use it to guide our processes forward,” said the EFCC chairperson.
Mr Olukoyede, who assumed office as EFCC chairperson on 19 October 2023, reiterated the commission’s commitment to deepening its partnership with the judiciary.
He promised that the agency would continue to do its job diligently and professionally, presenting its cases before the courts and trusting that “the judiciary will always do the right thing.”
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